Flight to Freedom (Flight Trilogy, Book 3) (3 page)

David stepped into the room and waved at his dad. Ryan waved back and signed, “You okay?”

“Fine,” David signed.

“Me clean up,” Ryan signed. “Then cook pizza.”

“Okay,” David signed.

While he changed into jeans and a T-shirt, Ryan’s mind whirled. Until he told Keri every detail concerning his discussion with John Dross, his world would be out of balance. Regardless of what she thought, he intended to call John and arrange an informational meeting. His three biggest concerns were the salary, the job location, and travel time away from home. As a minimum, the pay must exceed his current salary and hopefully enough to allow Keri to stop working. There was a slim chance Keri would be interested in moving and a no-brainer that she would not be too happy about him being away from home all week.

* * *

As the credits rolled, a surge of adrenaline rushed through his veins. Finally he and Keri could talk.

The children left for their rooms and Keri began straightening the pillows, arranging them neatly on the sofa. Ryan said, “I’m dying to tell you what happened at work.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Keri said.

“Can you sit down while we talk? This is important.”

“Sure, I’d love to.” Keri sat beside him and kissed him on the cheek. Her playful attitude made him smile. He needed her balance to soften his overly-serious side, always thinking too hard about the details. He blamed it on his profession as a pilot, constantly analyzing the worst-case scenarios before they occurred.

“One of my students today offered me a job.”

Keri sat up. “What kind of job?”

“He is the chief pilot for a company based in Atlanta. It sounds like an amazing organization.”

“Ryan, are you sure you want to do that again? I thought we decided to put an end to the traveling once we moved to Georgia. I had hoped our lives were going to be different.”

“I know, but just think…it might pay enough for you to stop working and stay at home with the kids…even allow us to pay off our debts more quickly. I just can’t help thinking that this job might be the answer to a lot of our problems.”

“So what’s the job like? I mean…what does it pay? How long would you be away from home on trips?”

“Well…I don’t know about the pay and travel yet.”

“Ryan, I hate to see you get your hopes up until you at least have a little more information.”

“The chief pilot, John Dross, seemed eager for me to call him and set up a meeting.”

“That sounds good. Why don’t you do that first?”

Ryan could tell that Keri had little interest in learning more about a job that would require him to be on the road…even in the best of circumstances. In addition, after what they had been through, she had made it clear she was not too excited about him flying at all. “I’ll give him a call tomorrow morning and set something up. He said he would be out of town next week, so it will be a few days before we can meet.”

John
reminded
his
copilot
about
a
trip
to
San
Juan
in
the
morning
.
The
copilot
said
he
would
be
at
the
hangar
by
six
.
I’ll
call
John
at
six
-
thirty
.

Keri stood and took Ryan’s hand. “What do you say about calling it an early evening and doing some reading in bed…or whatever?” She pulled him to his feet and kissed him.

“Sounds good.”

CHAPTER 4

Buckhead
,
Georgia

Saturday
morning
—
August
2004

Ryan woke at 5:45 a.m. eager to call John Dross. He eased out of bed, slipped on a pair of jeans and a Polo shirt, then headed downstairs and out the garage door.

After a short five minute drive, he wheeled into the neighborhood shopping center and parked in front of Starbucks. He checked the time: 6:12.

Sitting in his car, he pulled John’s business card from his pocket and dialed the number.

On the second ring John answered. “Hello.”

“John, this is Ryan Mitchell.”

“Hi, Ryan, I’m glad you called.”

“I remembered you had a trip this morning and I wanted to call before you left. Any chance we could set up a meeting next week?”

“Absolutely! We’re off to San Juan for a couple of days, but if nothing unexpected happens, I’ll be back home Monday afternoon. I would love to meet with you on Tuesday if that works for you.”

“Sounds good. I have a simulator early Tuesday morning, but I’m free after eleven o’clock.”

John said, “How about lunch on Tuesday.”

“Great.”

“I’ll call you Monday night and we can decide on a place to meet.”

After hanging up, Ryan gazed at John’s business card. He imagined the best case scenario: A salary large enough to allow Keri to stop working; minimal time away from home; based in Atlanta.

God
,
could
this
be
from
you
?

He held the door for a woman exiting the coffee shop while she balanced her tray of four coffees.

“Thank you,” the woman said.

“You’re welcome.” Ryan caught the wafting aroma of the fresh brew and drew it in. “Looks like someone will be excited to see you.”

“I have relatives visiting from Alabama.”

“Well…have a great day and enjoy your family…and the coffee.”

“Thank you,” she said.

As Ryan turned, he drew in a different scent lingering in the wake of the woman’s path. He inhaled deeply. The sweet fragrance was apparently the woman’s perfume.

Nice
.

After only a few steps into the coffee shop, the rich flavor of brewed coffee and freshly ground beans quickly replaced the lingering scent of perfume.

Ryan approached the cashier, but before he gave his order, he turned his head. “Ahhh…choo!”

“God bless you,” the barista said.

“Thank you.”

“What can I get you?”

“I’ll have a Grande drip, no room, please.”

Ryan paid the cashier then took his coffee to the condiment bar and added a sweetener and some milk. As he headed toward the door, he shielded his nose. “Ahhh…choo!”

Man
,
something
must
be
in
the
air
.

Seated in his car, he placed his coffee in the cupholder between the seats. “Ah…choo!” He wiped his nose with a napkin, then rubbed his itchy eyes.

What
is
going
on
?

He took a careful sip of the hot coffee which helped clear his sinuses. He sneezed again.

Could
it
be
the
coffee
?

By the time he had driven the short distance to his condo, the sneezing had grown into a full-blown allergic reaction—burning, itchy, and teary eyes accompanied by random, uncontrollable sneezing.

If something in the environment was causing his outbreak, it would have affected him earlier. He quickly dismissed the idea of a coffee allergy.

The
woman’s
perfume
!
It
must
be
an
allergic
reaction
to
her
perfume
.

He pulled into the garage and hurried inside. Keri was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading her Bible.

“Ahhhh…choo!”

“God bless you,” she said.

He rubbed his burning eyes. “Ahhh…choo!”

“My goodness! I hope you’re not getting sick?” She looked at his face. “Your eyes…”

“No. I think it’s an allergic reaction. I’ll be fine. I need to lie down for a minute.” From experience with occasional allergies, his only relief—other than drugs—was to wash his face, lie down, close his eyes, and let the allergens settle and the histamines calm down.

“Let me know if I can do anything for you.”

“I’m good. I just need to lie down and be still.”

After washing his face and blowing his nose, he headed for the bedroom where he laid flat on his back on the bed and closed his eyes. Within minutes he found relief.

I’ll
be
fine
once
I
give
my
system
a
chance
to
settle
down
.

He drifted off to sleep…

* * *

Ryan exchanged money with a street-side vendor for one of his bagels. The cloudless morning sky gave way to the warmth of the sun as the shadows from towering skyscrapers slowly dissolved.

I’m
dreaming
.
I’m
in
New
York
…
on
a
layover
.

“Ryan?” A woman’s voice called his name causing him to turn. “Is that you?”

“Keri!” How are you doing?” He gave her an innocent hug.

Keri
is
here
with
me
.

“Great! How about you?” She stepped back.

“Doing good,” he said. “What a coincidence to be on a layover in New York on the same day.”

“Yeah, amazing. So, how’s Emily?”

That’s
right
…
I
was
married
to
Emily
then
.

He paused, searching for the right words. “She’s good.”

No
,
she’s
not
!
Tell
her
the
truth
!

“You still enjoying California?” he said.

“Yeah. I especially
love
the weather…and there’s so much to do,” she said. “How is Emily adjusting to Texas?”

He folded the paper bag around his bagel. “She wasn’t too fond of it at first, but I think she’s slowly accepting it.”

Stop
lying
!
Emily
hates
it
!

“I can understand why she might have issues with Texas, especially the heat.”

He stepped aside to let a man place an order with the street vendor. “I planned on walking to Central Park. I’d love for you to join me. It would give us a chance to catch up on things. I need to tell you the latest about Mom.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine, but it looks like there are some challenges ahead for us all.”

“I was headed to the park, myself. I really do want to hear about Martha.” They started walking slowly toward the park.

They stopped briefly on the corner of 7th and Central Park South (59th Street) waiting for the traffic light to change. They walked across the street and along the sidewalk leading into the park.

As if they entered another world, the cool air beneath the canopy of trees and grassy lawns invited them to relax. Rollerbladers, joggers, and bikers glided by on the smooth asphalt. The clip-clop of horse’s hooves pulling carriages replaced blaring horns and screeching tires. The sounds of the city grew muffled and less noticeable the farther they walked into the park. A refuge from the chaotic city life: 843 acres stretching from 59th Street to 110th Street.

As they walked, he continued to talk about his mother. “You won’t believe what she said.”

“What?”

“While I visited with her, she wanted to know if you and I ever flew together at the airline.”

“That’s understandable; after all, she knows I’m a flight attendant.”

“But that’s not what she meant. She thinks you are Emily.”

Keri’s eyes widened. “You mean she thinks…” she trailed off.

Ryan nodded. “Yep. She thinks I married you, rather than Emily. Or she thinks Emily is you…or…well, you know what I mean.”

Go
ahead
!
Tell
her
how
you
wish
things
had
turned
out
like
mom
thought
they
should
have
.
Tell
her
that
you
wish
you
had
married
her
.

“How do you know for sure that’s what she meant?”

“She specifically asked me if,
Keri
, liked living in Texas…with me.” He turned to her and smiled.

While he dreamed, pleasant sensations charged through his body and thoughts. Memories of that day were fresh and exhilarating. Outside of his dream, he knew he was married to Keri, but inside the dream, he was lucid and aware of his dream character’s every feeling.

“You hungry?” Ryan asked.

“I guess I could eat something.”

“Let me buy you lunch.” He held out the bag he’d been carrying since they met in front of the hotel. “I’ll share.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” she said. “I know where there’s a great little deli over between Madison and Park Avenues. That is…if you don’t mind walking a couple of blocks.”

“Sounds great.” He lifted his bag once more. “And if we get lost, we’ve always got my bagel.” They laughed.

“The place is called Delmonico Gourmet Food Market. They’ve got just about everything from salads to gourmet specialty sandwiches, and the prices are very reasonable.” She checked her watch. “It’s just a little after eleven, so we should beat most of the lunch crowd.”

“So, how far is this place?” Ryan asked, jokingly.

She reached over and playfully squeezed him on his side. It was a habit from the past; something she’d done many times before. “The walk will do you good.”

“I should have seen that coming.” He chuckled. “Hopefully, I won’t pass out.”

They crossed Madison Avenue beneath the shadows of towering buildings, the cool winds swirled through the streets. The smell of fresh bread and pizza filled the air.

“Here it is,” she said.

He reached for the door, holding it open while she entered, following her close behind.

Ryan ordered the grilled chicken breast sandwich from the SPECIALTY SANDWICHES menu. It came with roasted peppers, basil oil, and red lettuce on crusty ciabatta bread. He also added a bowl of Manhattan clam chowder. Keri ordered from the CREATE YOUR OWN SALAD menu: a grilled chicken and asparagus salad with mandarin oranges and roasted peppers topped with a mandarin vinaigrette dressing.